How I learned to write kids short stories
Kids short stories are a specialty of the Institute of Children’s Literature (ICL). I enrolled in courses through ICL that taught me how to write kids short stories. I decided to publish my collection on the Mobile Phones Research website. Kids and mobile phones go together. I have added scenes where kids are using mobile phones in my collection. I hope you will enjoy reading the collection of stories I wrote for children.
In 2003, Mel Boring who was the Web Editor of the Institute of Children’s Literature (ICL) web site was accepting submissions related to the writing craft. Many of my fellow ICL students had articles accepted for publication on the web site. I wrote an article entitled Target Your Market in March 2003 and sent it off to Mr. Boring. In this article, I focused on the marketing aspects of manuscript submission to magazine editorsfor kids short stories, which I had learned in the advanced Beyond the Basics Course – Creating and Selling Short Stories and Articles.
One of my fellow ICL chatters thought that Mr. Boring would publish my article. I was disappointed when Mr. Boring sent me a very nice “OUCH” response. He apologized for returning my manuscript and stated that when he began to edit it he encountered organization problems that were difficult for an editor to resolve. He strongly suggested another revision in accordance with his critique comments. If I resubmitted the revised manuscript to him, he would reconsider the article for publication.
I revised the article to omit the usage of the ICL Children’s Magazine Market Directory and replaced it with a general marketing directory reference. The article incorporated different approaches for a writer to conduct market research. It also explained how to use a sample copy to analyze the marketing needs and requirements of the targeted magazine editor. I added additional suggestions for prospective authors to examine the websites of the magazines they have selected to submit their finished manuscripts and to view this submission as their resume. A job seeker wouldn’t apply to a company without researching it to determine if it is a good fit. A writer should also research their targeted manuscript to determine if it is a good fit for that magazine matching the editorial submission guidelines.
Kids short stories are a work of creativity
I learned how to work with a professional editor, patience, perseverance, and honed my revision and self-critiquing skills. My writing self-confidence improved because I learned that rejection is a small step on the road to publication success.
I worked hard revising my second submission to ensure that it met the exact requirements Mr. Boring wanted. After I resubmitted my article, Mr. Boring sent me an email with a contract attached in June 2003. My article was published at the Institute of Children's Literature website. I was excited when my first check for $50 came in the mail.
Historical websites accessible with a mobile phone
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC
Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia
National Women's History Alliance
History Today
History News Network
Colonial Williamsburg
